'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Right now, Manchester United are exactly the opposite of what made the Old Trafford side famous. Ever since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, United have stuttered and stumbled, showing alarming signs of vulnerability and weakness rarely associated with the club.
United had opted for David Moyes to steer the ship after the legendary Scot stepped down, but after a turbulent 9 months, he was asked to leave. Louis Van Gaal was given a little more time, almost 2 years, but a poor show of trophies and an even worse display of football saw him depart as well.
United could no longer “wait” for trophies and hence Mourinho was selected, a manager who perhaps stands for everything but for the famed Manchester United ideology. Instant results were what was achieved, but there are inherent costs which have come to the fore during that time.
The most glaring of that is the loss of the” United identity” on the field. There had been calls for Mourinho’s termination after the Brighton game but after Monday night, those voices have gotten even stronger. While it is not wise to ditch a manager after just two bad games, there have been signs that appointing Mourinho has backfired for the Red Devils. The most glaring of that evidence is the resurgence across town.
As such, United may be tempted to dig deep and search for solutions and if they do decide to look for alternatives to Mourinho, there are quite a few options available. However, very few people will be as tailor-made for the job as Ryan Giggs, United’s most decorated player, currently in charge of Wales and it could turn out to be a match made in heaven.
Premier League Knowhow
Ryan Giggs moved up the youth ranks at Old Trafford, making his debut for Manchester United in the 1990/91 season in the First Division, before the inception of the Premier League.
Since then, Giggs went on to feature in an incredible 24 seasons for Manchester United, before he retired at the end of the 2013/14 season. He had scored in each of those seasons except for the last one.
The Welshman featured in 632 Premier League games for Manchester United, scoring 109 goals, over 22 seasons. Granted, the Premier League has changed a lot since his playing times, but the experience he gathered as a player would be priceless for the team right now.
Besides the Premier League, Giggs featured in 74 games in the FA Cup, 41 games in the League Cup, 157 games in Europe and 19 other games for Manchester United. He played 963 games in total for the Red Devils, scoring 168 goals over his illustrious career.
A Born Winner
Ryan Giggs, in his time at United, won 13 Premier League Trophies, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 9 Community Shields, 2 Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.
In addition, he had many individual honours to his name during his playing career. He was adjudged as the best player in the 20 years of the Premier League by the FA. He is Football’s most decorated player with 34 trophies. There have been few better flagbearers of Manchester United in the history of the club.
Throughout his career, Ryan Giggs was a winner, and he commands respect for his achievements alone. As such, he will be driven by the desire to get United back to winning ways. Just like Guardiola did at Barcelona 10 years ago, Giggs could influence a change at Old Trafford that could see United return back to their glory days of old.
Youth Promotion
Sir Alex’s search for a left-sided player had left the legendary Scot frustrated at the start of the 90s. He had just started deploying 19-year old Lee Sharpe when Giggs made his debut for United.
Two seasons later, Giggs, now 19 years old himself, had taken to the left-sided role like he was born for it and had managed to replace Sharpe in the team.
At an age when success can get to the head easily, Sir Alex managed to protect Giggs like a father figure and shaped him into the best-left winger in the world. Giggs soon became a key player for United and his rise was truly in sync with the club and the legendary manager’s ideology.
Of late, United has been found detached from the very ideology that saw them rule over the Premier League for years. Even though the incredible record of having a homegrown player in every matchday squad is still intact, youngsters in the past few years have not been breaking into the first team like before.
The Red Devils still have some of the best young players in the world in their arsenal, but a variety of factors have hindered their emergence. Giggs, coming through the ranks himself, would be well versed in the matter and would know a talent when he sees one.
As a senior player, Giggsy nurtured many United youngsters who came up the ranks - he was always a revered figure in the dressing room. He has the background to embrace the very ideology that made him. Marcus Rashford, Martial and even Chong would get a new lease of life under his guidance.
Bred and Polished in Sir Alex’s philosophy
Ryan Giggs was the stalwart of the Class of ’92, captaining them to an FA Youth Cup win. His long association with his legendary manager has seen him through some famous times.
He has seen famous wins and inglorious draws and as well as seen his manager react, plan and execute. At the requirement of his team, he had adapted his playing style in the twilight of his career, playing as a central midfielder. But what makes him a great choice is that he has been among those handful players who have been associated with Sir Alex through much of the United manager’s time at Old Trafford.
Getting another Sir Alex Ferguson is impossible now, but Ryan Giggs could be the next best thing. With his long associating with the Scottish manager, and a healthy mix of new age glamour, Giggs represents a freshness that could lift the mood at the club.
His knowledge of the club's working would come to his aid as well. Ryan Giggs was brought up in Sir Alex's ideology and evolved as a player over the years by embracing the same set of principles. He possesses the DNA of Sir Alex's Manchester United, he was a part of the players who built that DNA. He was an asset as a player, and his value to United has certainly increased a lot in the current scenario of uncertainty.
But, even with his plethora of experience as a player, Gigg’s lack of managerial experience lets him down compared to the other options available to United. He amassed experiences the present crop of players can only dream about, however, he has very less managerial expertise for a club of the stature of Manchester United.
He was appointed the interim player-manager after Moyes’ departure at the end of the 2013/14 season, where he presided over 4 games, winning 2 and losing 1. He then spent two years at Manchester United as Louis Van Gaal’s assistant and has been at the Wales job since the start of the year. He is still unproven as a manager, to say the least.
But there are a few instances of former players lacking managerial experience but turning out to be great managers, the most soothing example arising from across town again. Guardiola did spend a fantastic season in charge of Barcelona B, but the decision of the Barcelona board to appoint him was still prone to risks – risks, which eventually evaporated though and gave the world one of the greatest managers in current times.
Manchester United could follow suit, but the commercial aspects of the game make such an appointment a lot more risky than it was for Barcelona 10 years ago.
Yet Manchester United desperately needs reforms, stability on the field. The club can no longer concentrate on the present alone, like the days of old, Manchester United needs a perfect blend of the old and the new.
Right now Ryan Giggs is the epitome of that mixture, old with the wisdom of his glorious playing days, and young among the managerial subset. In the event that Manchester United are looking for their next manager, they should take a little risk, abandon the temporary charms of instant results and look no further than Ryan Giggs.
